Heathrow Airport has had a High Court injunction blocking potential environmental protests on the site extended for a further year ahead of the summer holidays.
The airport was granted a five-year injunction last July, to be reviewed every 12 months, after a judge heard that it was at risk from disruption by protesters affiliated with Just Stop Oil (JSO) and other environmental campaigns.
On Tuesday, Mr Justice Turner kept the injunction in place, which will be reviewed in a further 12 months.
In written submissions, barrister Tom Roscoe, for the airport, said Heathrow is “the UK’s busiest and most significant airport”.
He stated that shortly after the injunction was issued last year, it was breached on four occasions in July and August 2024 by 26 people, including seven who were arrested at the perimeter fence surrounding the runways with equipment to cut through the fence.
He continued: “These events show, principally and most significantly, that the risk of unlawful direct action activity which originally justified the injunction was not exaggerated.
“The risk unfortunately materialised.
“The fact that the injunction has not been breached since is consistent with it being a successful deterrent.”
Mr Roscoe told the court that while JSO stated in March this year that it was stopping direct action protests, it had since said that it was “plotting a very big comeback”.
He said: “It therefore seems that the risk posed by JSO has not diminished and may, in fact, have increased.”
He continued: “It is therefore submitted that there has been no material change in the threat of unlawful direct action at the airport as would warrant the injunction not being continued.”
The renewal of the Heathrow injunction follows similar orders being continued for several other UK airports in recent weeks, including Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
